South African national football team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira believes his team are well prepared for their friendly match against Jamaica in Offenbach, Germany, on Wednesday night.
Bafana Bafana are training in Germany to prepare for the World Cup, which will take place from June 11 to July 11. Wednesday's game is their final warm-up during the training camp in Germany.
Bafana Bafana drew 0-0 against Jamaica in November 2009 in Bloemfontein.
"We are more prepared this time," Parreira told the South African Press Association (SAPA). "We should play better. We are ready. We believe it will be a different game. We are more prepared physically and mentally and the shape is there. The identity is coming."
Last week Bafana Bafana, ranked 88th in the world, played to a 0-0 draw with 105th-ranked DPR Korea in Germany.
Parreira believes his team is slowly developing the style necessary to be a surprise at the World Cup.
He envisions his team playing a quick passing game, taking on opponents with skill and technique rather than brawn.
"The shape is done. We have a defined way of playing, that's clear now," said Parreira, the 1994 World Cup-winning coach. "Keeping the ball on the ground is coming. It takes time, but it's coming."
"I believe if you want to qualify at the World Cup, you have to do something well. And that for us would be in the technical and skills aspect of the game. We cannot beat these teams in the physical way. We have to play good against them with the ball on the ground. This is our big strength. That's what I want them to believe in."
Bafana Bafana leave Germany on Thursday. Parreira will call the team back to another training camp in Johannesburg on May 4.
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